The “Oh, Finally!” Shake

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Sometimes I will get busy doing things and time will get by me. Suddenly I’ll look up and the dog is standing or sitting nearby, staring at me with a look of concentration/ anticipation. I’ll look at the clock and Whoops! It’s an hour past dinnertime, or I haven’t given her a pee-break for longer than normal.

I’ll turn to the dog and say, “Do you need to go out?” or, “Hey, I bet you’re hungry.” She will leap in the air and do a dance, tail wagging. I respond to this by saying, “OK, let’s go out!” or “OK, I’ll get you’re supper.” At this, she will give a whole body shake, like the one she does when she’s just had a bath.

 

This happens all the time, when she’s been anticipating something and I confirm that the desired event is imminent. (Oddly, the cat does it too, but his display is confined to the shake and adopting a tails-up stance.)

 

Is this something others have noticed? Is it a Border Collie thing? (And my cat is just doing a monkey see, monkey do?) Or do all dogs do this? Is the rearranging-of-the-fur thing a preparation for action? Or is it to relieve built-up muscle tension when they have been in a state of anticipation for a while?

[bcnewe2]

Dew pokes me in the leg when she's excited. Before, during and after any big event.

She does do a huge stretch when we greet in the morning but I think that's a sleeping thing.

 

Thy only dance when it's outside time or sheep time. But it is one heck of a dance!

[Shetlander]

I like the whole body shake. When I see it, I see my dogs either happy or "shaking off" something negative. If my dogs have an altercation, I know that when both of them have shook it off, that hostilities are over.

[mbc1963]

My trainer used to say "shake it off" all the time - after a dog in class had had a nerve-wracking experience of any kind, or been put in an uncomfortable situation, they would give one of those shakes.

 

Buddy does give a little joyous shake when I first come home from work and promise to play with him. It starts at his head and winds its way back to his tail, corkscrew-like. I love it.

 

Mary

[TRCYGRDN]

Hi,

 

My Ed does what I call the 'happy dance' when he knows dinner's coming. This will involve rolling and wriggling around on the floor for a few minutes then standing up and doing the whole body shake. It still makes me laugh to this day as you literally see the shake go from head to tail!

xx